Why Are My Blueberry Leaves Turning Brown? Here’s What to Do

If your blueberry plant leaves turning yellow and brown then don’t worry because you are not alone and it’s been a very common problem among new gardeners.

There are different reasons for blueberry leaves turning brown which includes, watering issues, diseases, environmental stress, and nutrient deficiencies. To treat and solve these issues, you need to first understand it and then you can start take precautionary steps.

Below we listed some of the common reasons for blueberry bushes leaves turning red along with their treatment for solving its issues. So let’s get out our expert guide.

Why are my Blueberry Leaves Turning Brown

Blueberry is one of the most common fruits that people want to grow in their garden. Just like other plants, it has many issues, and turning its leaves brown is a very common one, and its need proper attention because it can lead to some serious damage. Below we listed some of the common reasons along with expert treatment solutions.

Common Causes Blueberry Leaves Turning Yellow with Brown:

Some things can cause the blueberry leaves to turn yellow and brown prematurely. Some of those reasons are listed below.

Watering Stress:

Water fluctuation is one of the most common and prominent reasons of blueberry leaves start browning and yellowing. You might not know it but blueberry roots are very sensitive and need consistent moisture. If it’s disturbed properly then they can start to wilt their leaves and start to turn brown.

Treatment:

So to treat it, you need consistent watering. Consistent watering doesn’t mean that you have to water it every day, NO. The blueberries need about 1 to 2 inches of water per week so do not exceed its limit unless the temperature getting high or there are signs of drought on your blueberries.

Nutrients Deficiency:

Another possible and pretty common reason for blueberry leaves turning yellow is nutrient deficiency. Nutrient deficiency can cause leaves to turn yellow and brown in almost every other plant. Blueberries nutrient deficiency is usually caused by a lack of different elements in soil which is why I listed and explained some of them down below.

Iron Deficiency: Iron deficiency causes interveinal chlorosis which starts yellowing the leaves and then turns brown and eventually falls prematurely.

Magnesium Deficiency: The lack of magnesium in the soil can cause different things and turning your leaves brown is pretty common.

Nitrogen Deficiency: Nitrogen deficiency is pretty common in plants which can cause premature discoloration of your plant leaves, in this case, blueberries.

Treatment:

To solve this issue you need to test you soil in which you planted your blueberries. So if it has iron deficiency then apply chelated iron, if it has magnesium deficiency then add sulfate especially Epson salt to level the quantity of magnesium in your soil, but if it’s caused by iron deficiency then you can do it by adding adequate fertilizer which has a high quantity of nitrogen.

Related: Reasons for Tomatoes Plant Burnet Leaves

Issues with Soil pH Value:

If you don’t know then let me tell you that blueberries like acidic soil with a pH level of 4.0 to 5.5 but if the soil has a different pH value range other than that then it can start losing its leaves by turning yellow and then brown. When the soil gets alkaline then it starts to face difficulty absorbing nutrients and that causes nutrient deficiency which is one of the main causes of blueberry leaves turning yellow and brown.

Treatment:

The Treatment is simple and easy, just test the soil of your blueberry plants. If it’s in the recommended range then well and good but if it’s different then try to amend it with acidic fertilizer or suffer to achieve the required range.

Disease and Pest

there are different diseases and pest that can also cause blueberry to turn its leaves to yellow and brown, in which some are listed below.

Diseases:

Different diseases in blueberries can cause their leaves to turn brown in which the most common are septoria leaf spot, anthracnose, etc. In these diseases, the leaf starts browning and defoliation and then loses the ability to photosynthesize which causes it to premature fall.

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Treatment:

For treating any diseases of blueberries, start by cutting or punning the affected area to improve air circulation and reduce the risk of spreading fungal infection. Secondly, start spraying with proper fungicides like copper-based spray.

Pests:

The pests that are responsible for causing the blueberry leaves to turn yellow and brown include spiders mites and aphids. They start sucking sap from blueberry branches, especially their leaves that turn it by browning the curling them. The leaves also turn yellow due to fungal growth which is also caused by these pests.

Treatment:

To treat it you need to use any good pesticide spray that is considered suitable for that certain pests. Other than that you should introduce Beneficial insects to your garden which will help you against pests.

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Environmental Stressor:

The environmental stressor is also one of the big reasons for blueberries to start losing leaves by turning brown and yellow.

Heat Stress:

Sunburn is the reason for heat stress in which the plant leaves start turning yellow and then brown. Blueberries usually like and grow in cool climates but if the temperature gets too high then it can also have sunburn.

Treatment:

If you live in a cold area then it is not a problem you could face but if you see your blueberry leaves start turning yellow then it could be sunburn. So for that you either need to put partial shade on your blueberry plants during the noon when the sun is too hot or you can plant them somewhere it gets sun only in the morning and in the evening while its under the shade for the hottest part of the day.

Frost and Wind Damage:

Too cold can also be a problem for your blueberries and cause its yellow turning yellow due to frost. When the temperature is too cold it can turn your blueberry leaves yellow.

Other than that fast cold wind can also turn your leaves yellow and cause them to fall prematurely.

Treatment:

Try to cover the plant during the cold nights to protect it from cold snaps. And to protect from the wind you need to apply a windshield.

Why Blueberry Leaves Turning Red:

The reason for blueberries leaves turning red might be physiological or environmental factors. Below we listed some of those factors that can help you solve it.

Seasonal Changes:

Seasonal change is one of the common and natural causes of blueberry leaves start turning red. It happens in the season of fall or autumn when the day shortens and the leaves of almost every plant start changing their color. It’s normal so you don’t have to worry about it.

Nutrients Deficiency:

Nutrient deficiency especially phosphorus deficiency is usually a reason causing blueberry leaves to turn red or add a little purple tint. So if your blueberries start turning red then check its soil and manage its phosphorus deficiency.

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Cold Stress:

Cold stress can also cause blueberry leaves to turn red, let me explain. Sometimes the temperature suddenly gets cold and the blueberry plant thinks it’s falling triggering leaf coloration prematurely and turning its leaves red. So to prevent your plants from that just cover your plants to prevent them from frost.

Prevention Tips For Blueberries Plants:

We discuss treatments and solutions for each of those causes but let me tell you some prevention tips that can help with different issues and problems including blueberry plant leaves turning yellowing.

• You need to test your soil before planting your blueberry plants. But if you already did then you should test the soil from time to time check its pH level and make it according to its required value.
• I usually say that regular and consistent plant watering has the power to both thrive and destroy them. So regularly water your blueberry plants according to their needs.
• Regularly mulch your garden or area surrounding your blueberries to control the weed, retain moisture, and protect its roots.
• Whenever you plant your plants, in this case, blueberries then you need to plant them with proper spacing so they won’t fight for resources because it can cause some serious problems.

Below we have a video about blueberries planting tips.

When to Seek Professional Help:

If none of the above-listed reasons is the cause of yellow leaves in your blueberry plants, or above mentioned treatment doesn’t help then you need to seek professional help. You can do that by consulting any local expert with good knowledge and expertise of garden. If you can’t find any local expert then you can contact me at admin@gardencrafting.com and I will personally help you out.

Conclusion:

The leaves of blueberry turning yellow can mean different things, like stress, watering issues, or nutrient deficiency. We listed all the possible reasons in the above blog that also mentioned its treatment.

I hope you fix your blueberry problem but if you still have any questions then feel free to ask them in the comment section and I will get back to you, and in the meantime, you can visit your main website gardencrafting.com for more gardening info.